AROUND the NBA: Pat Bev Suspended 4 Games Next Season| PHX Fires Vogel, Hires Bud

[HoosierDaddyKid]

As someone else pointed out, the West victor is going to come out torn up as hell by their opponents, while the Celtics will have barely broken a sweat at any point, so Boston is the prohibitive favorite to win the Larry. Even against the Nuggets. The only real "all bets are off" scenario is if the Lakers win the West. The Celtics may not be built to play five on eight.

The Knicks are dangerous. If they make it to the conference finals, I think they will make Boston sweat. I may be crazy for saying this, because Randle is a good player. But their playing better without him because he's a ball stopper, and they're getting what they need from Anunoby who's better defensively. And with Hartenstein, Robinson, and Hart, the Knicks will control the offensive boards, and provide rim protection. Brunson will continue to orchestrate the offense beautifully. This may be Thibs best coaching job in NY.